


the night is still young (and so are we)

by peachydreamies



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Flashbacks, M/M, OT7 NCT Dream, Slice of Life, Summer, the boys just want to be young forever, told in episodes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2020-11-02 11:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20737682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachydreamies/pseuds/peachydreamies
Summary: every teenager wishes to live forever. to feel young and free for as long as time lasts, without obligations and without a single care in the world. a fleeting, flying, elusive feeling that very few truly experience without the ever-looming presence of time.to the boys of dream, time could never seem to slow down enough for them to live in the present.-OR-in which seven boys live their last summer together to the fullest.





	1. introduction

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! welcome to another mediocre, relatively mundane fic from yours truly!
> 
> this came to me one night and i'm not sure how long it will be but thanks for reading it anyway :)  
\--
> 
> songs (for the vibe)
> 
> we are the kids - walk the moon  
are you ok? - wasuremono  
warm glow - hippocampus

Every teenager wishes to live forever. To feel young and free for as long as time lasts, without obligations and without a single care in the world. A fleeting, flying, elusive feeling that very few truly experience without the ever-looming presence of time.

To Mark Lee, time could never seem to slow down enough for him to live in the present. Even at a young age, he hardly knew a time when he wasn’t busy and fretting over his future. 

Mark was 14 when they moved to Korea. A job reassignment for his father, a new start for his son. 

The real beginning of his life began when he met Donghyuck- another 14-year-old boy that lived down the hall from him in the small apartment complex. He was bubbly and bright and exciting and Mark had never met anyone like him. Donghyuck (or “Hyuck,” as Mark later found out he liked to be called) pushed him out of his comfort zone and made his life colorful and full of interest. Hyuck was like a brother. Mark’s first real friend. 

Next was the boy that worked in the corner store at the end of the block. He had a quieter, more reserved personality, but after he was introduced to Hyuck, he quickly became very warm and personable. Mark had been 16 when he met Lee Jeno, a bit shorter than the other two boys, but he made up for it with his big personality. He had a heart-crushing smile that lit up the room and a laugh that resonated in the deepest pits of Mark’s stomach, and because of this, Jeno quickly became one of Mark’s closest friends. 

Then there was Jaemin, another boy around Mark’s age, that was practically glued to Jeno’s side. Wherever Jeno was, Jaemin was, too. Mark had to adjust a bit to having a second version of Jeno, especially when he’d invite Jeno over to play video games and another boy would show up with him. But Mark let him because Jaemin was incredibly kind, and he immediately let Mark into his world. It was almost shocking how easily the other boy accepted Mark, who was not nearly as smooth as him. Mark was awkward and clumsy, but Jaemin was charismatic and bright and loud, and Mark liked him a lot.

He met Renjun fourth. A boy in one of his art classes, who loved painting and classical music. Usually, he was seen wearing a paint-splattered smock around the school, his apron full of half-washed paint brushes. Renjun was one of Mark’s favorite friends. He was quiet and insightful and strangely wise and all-knowing. It was a little disconcerting, how vividly clairvoyant Renjun could be sometimes. He was incredibly artistic; he filled Mark’s world with little pieces of his own with the way he sang little melodies as he drew and filled whole notebooks with whole universes. He was imaginative and wonderful and gravitated towards people who were open and intuitive. Mark guessed he was one of those lucky people. 

And then, in junior year, he met a freshman named Park Jisung- a photography guru. He worked on the yearbook committee and was another quiet and studious type. He hung around Renjun a lot, perhaps because they were very alike in that they both venerated the arts, and followed them religiously. Jisung was a few years younger than Mark, but it was often like the age gap hardly existed. 

Jisung was seen with another freshman named Zhong Chenle. Chenle was a loud and rambunctious exchange student from China. He followed Jisung around, sometimes to the other boy’s chagrin, and almost forced himself into Mark’s world. But even if the freshman seemed pushy and annoying, he was gentle and intelligent and radiated kindness. He was the last one to join the ragtag bunch of boys. 

When Mark reached senior year and learned he’d be moving again, the seven boys vowed to live a summer they would never forget. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark breaks the news to the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicized text indicates flashbacks or flash-forwards.

_i. mark_

ON THE EVE of his thirty-eighth birthday, Mark Lee sat in his lonely office at the top of the tallest building in America, anxiously chewing on his bottom lip. The lights of the city glittered coldly below him, and he gazed unblinkingly at the never-ending traffic, a chorus of discordant honks and beeps echoing from the streets below. Lately, he’d been stressed out to the point where he’d lost sleep, his thoughts a tangled mess of loose ends that grew bigger by the day. Sighing heavily, he pressed his temples with the tips of his fingers, hoping to relieve some of the dull pain that had been plaguing him all day.

A soft knock on the door echoed throughout the great space.

“Not now, Han,” Mark replied quietly, the exhaustion in his voice obvious. But there was another knock on the door, so the man stood up from his chair with a deep sigh, straightening the tight muscles in his back with a prolonged stretch.

Walking over to the dark wood double doors, Mark twisted the golden doorknob, expecting to see his assistant, only to be greeted by an empty hallway. He peered around, his brow furrowed in annoyance when he saw a package at his feet.

It was rather unsuspecting- it was about a foot wide and a couple of inches tall, made of plain brown cardboard, and had nothing on the surface except for his name and address. There wasn’t even a return label. But against his better judgment, Mark picked up the package and brought it into his office, surprised by the heftiness of the box.

Setting it gently on the desk, the man grabbed a pair of scissors and slit the tape before hesitantly opening the flaps of the box. There was nothing inside except for a note and a large book. Confused, Mark grabbed the note first. There was no name there either- just a phone number.

_Happy birthday, Mark!_

_I hope this reaches you safely. Remember to smile! I know how you are- you always put others first._

_Call me whenever!_

_+82 XX XXXX XXXX_

  
Mark frowned- there was something familiar about the sloping handwriting and the way the letters seemed to meld together, but he set the note on the surface of the desk and turned to the large book still sitting in the package.

The cover was plain, brown, and leather-bound, but the book itself was thick, and easily had over a hundred pages. Mark took the book gingerly in his hands, walking over to the couch in the corner of his office and sat down, his weary body sinking gratefully onto the soft leather cushions as he opened the cover of the book.

As soon as he saw the photo, he gasped, his heart thumping heavily in his chest.

It was clearly an old picture- the corners were yellowed with age and the edges had a few large tears, but whoever had sent the book had taped and glued the page with impressive care. Seven boys could be seen in the photo, laughing brightly as they clung to each other. The boy in the middle looked incredibly familiar, and as Mark leaned closer to the page to examine the photo, his heart lodged in his throat.

It was him, twenty years ago- still hopeful and full of life as he clung to his six best friends. His hair was jet black- shockingly different to the light mousy brown he kept it at now- and incredibly messy, and Mark absentmindedly flattened his fringe like he used to do, the action having long been forgotten until now. The boys standing around him were achingly familiar, too. Each with heartbreaking smiles that lit up their whole faces, they were ready to take on the world ahead of them and it hurt Mark to see something so close to his past. These were his friends whom he had not talked to in over twenty years, whom he had no idea where they were or, honestly, if they were even still alive.

He flipped the page, his heart already on the verge of breaking, his mind so far from the conflicted state it was in before. The next page had a long letter, that same familiar sloping handwriting covering every inch of the margins. Engrossed, Mark hunched over the page, drinking in every word on the paper.  
Mark had no idea how long he stayed sitting on the couch reading every story on every page until his eyes glazed over, and he felt his eyelids drooping.

He slumped over on the couch, clutching the book close to his heart and fell into a deep slumber, his mind replaying long-forgotten memories on loop.

-

  
_It had been a sunny day when his dad broke the news._

“We’re moving,” he’d said, and at first, Mark didn’t react. Ironically, after the countless times he’d heard the words, they never really hit until a day or so later. So Mark simply nodded and let his dad envelop him in a tight hug while he whispered quiet apologies on deaf ears.

And just like always, it didn’t really occur to him until he was sitting in Jeno’s living room a few days later, surrounded by his six best friends.

“I’m moving,” he said, his voice flat, and at first, no one reacted either. But Donghyuck was the first to unfreeze, his usually sunny face betraying the dark clouds billowing in his mind as his face fell.

“Moving?” Jisung echoed, shock painted across the sophomore's young face. He stared at Mark for a moment, his mouth moving wordlessly as he attempted to comprehend what his best friend had just told him. “But you just got here.”

“It’s been, like, four years, dumbass,” Renjun said before quickly dodging the book being thrown at him by the younger boy. The smile on his face was fleeting, though, as the realization hit him, and he sank back onto the armchair in the corner, his eyes cast onto the floor in a blank stare.

Jeno and Jaemin lay tangled on the couch, Jaemin’s hand playing absentmindedly with the dark locks at the nape of Jeno’s neck, but he stopped abruptly, his face slack with shock.

“When?” he whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping boy on his lap.

Mark shrugged and cleared his throat, lest his voice betray the despair building in his chest. “Um… at the end of the summer. My dad was reassigned again.” Chenle nodded slowly, chewing on his bottom lip and wringing his hands frantically until Jisung had to grab his hands and hold them tightly.

Save for Jeno, slumbering peacefully on Jaemin’s shoulder, Donghyuck was the only one that had not spoken. He looked deep in thought as he gazed unblinkingly out the window. Mark watched his best friend, sadness clouding his heart as he took in the details of his face- the way his long auburn curls caressed his cheekbones and the sun played off of the freckles that danced across his nose and cheeks.

Had Mark not been such a coward, he definitely would have confessed to his friend by now. It was agonizing, pretending to love Donghyuck only as a friend when all Mark did at night was imagine what it would be like to loosely intertwine his fingers with the other boy’s and softly stroke his knuckles until he fell asleep. It was impossible not to watch his full lips when he spoke animatedly about something, the corners of his mouth tugging into a dazzling smile. He could hardly live now without seeing Donghyuck every day… what would happen if he couldn’t talk to him anymore? If he couldn’t touch his face, hold him in a tight embrace, play with his long hair-

“Mark?” someone said, and the boy started, a gentle flush appearing on his cheeks.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, mumbling something about being tired and waited awkwardly for the others to say something.

Surprisingly, it was Renjun that spoke next.

“I think we should make it the best summer yet,” he said resolutely. His eyes were dull with sadness, but they sparkled with mirth, a cheeky grin already setting on his boyish face.

Chenle and Jisung nodded quickly, flicking their eyes back and forth between the two oldest boys.

Mark mulled the thought over in his head, the ideas already half-formed on his tongue. He smiled to himself.

“Let’s do it.”

Donghyuck clapped his hands, his sunny smile planted firmly on his face again, and he ran to grab a pen and a notebook. The two youngest boys were already babbling in the corner excitedly, listing different ideas off the top of their heads in rapid succession.

Jaemin interrupted the two excited boys by holding up a hand, his eyes set on the slumbering boy next to him, a lopsided grin playing his lips. “We should probably wake Jeno up first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me!
> 
> [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/bffhrj)  
[curious cat](https://www.curiouscat.me/solarjeno)

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me!
> 
> [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/bffhrj)  
[curious cat](https://www.curiouscat.me/solarjeno)


End file.
